Pro-Mursi Alliance Boycotts Referendum on Charter

TEHRAN (Tasnim) - An alliance of Islamic groups in Egypt said it will boycott a referendum on the country’s new constitution set to be held in mid-January.

The Anti-Coup Alliance announced its decision on Sunday, calling on the Egyptian people to boycott the referendum, which is scheduled by interim President Adly Mansour for January 14-15.

“We took a unanimous decision that boycotting the so-called constitutional referendum is the best way to resist this military coup and we call on the free people of Egypt to follow suit,” said Imam Yousef from the National Alliance Supporting Legitimacy.

The alliance added that it opposes the referendum since it would be held by a government which has killed and detained numerous people following the ouster of Egypt’s first democratically-elected president Mohamed Mursi on July 3, Press TV reported.

“We consider what happened on the third of July an illegitimate coup and thus any procedures based upon that are deemed illegal,” said another member of the alliance Mohamed Abdel Latif, who is the secretary general of Al-Wasat party.

The new constitution has been completed by a 50-member assembly selected by the Egyptian army-backed interim government.

The alliance said the new charter helps the Egyptian military tighten its grip on power and runs contrary to the objectives of the 2011 revolution that ended decades of despotism by dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Tensions in Egypt have been running high since the ouster of Mursi by the Egyptian military. Hundreds of protesters, mostly Mursi supporters, have been killed or wounded during deadly clashes that broke out the following days.